Part 2 Hello, Mr. Major General I'm Gu Nianzi

250. Can you hear me?

Huaxia Empire was the third country, but it had not been always been smooth sailing for them. They had initially asked to collaborate with the European Union on their sat-nav system, but the EU had unceremoniously kicked them off the team after taking their money.
It had been a bitter pill for the Huaxia Empire to swallow, and they had never forgotten the taste of it. None of the other countries could be trustedthey had learned this the hard way, and had gone on to develop their own global sat-nav system without any outside help.
And that was how the Nandou System had come to be.
The Nandou System had turned out to be superior than both the EU's Copernicus System and the USA's Global Positioning System in terms of technology, performance, and cost.
But it was at a disadvantag by being a latecomer to the scenethe international community had been slow to recognize the technological sophistication and commercial value of the Nandou System.
Zhao Liangze followed the members of the Huaxia delegation to the conference venue.
Huo Shaoheng walked beside Deputy Minister Yan. He had put on a simple disguise: a casual khaki suit and a pair of brown non-prescription glasses. He ignored everyone around him as he walked, his expression solemn.
The conference was being held at the Oriental Hotel in London this time.
As soon as they stepped inside the conference hall, they were faced with a massive LED screen. It was showing a video feed of blue sky, white clouds, and a sea that stretched away into the horizon.
Seagulls hovered above the surging waves. Fishing boats dotted the surface of the sea. Sunlight shone through gaps in the white clouds to dance on the boundless sea. The surface of the sea looked as though it had been spread with gold confetti; the sunlight played on the waves, brilliant and coy.
A semi-circular podium had been set up before the screen. It looked out upon rows of red velvet chairs, arranged in sloping tiers.
The chairs had been allocated to the delegations beforehand; the guests had only to identify their seats by looking at the names on the back of the chairs.
The delegation from the Huaxia Empire had been given two rows of seats in the middle, near the front.
Zhao Liangze sat beside Huo Shaoheng. He took out his phone and started a video call with Gu Nianzhi.
He was using the Copernicus System's encrypted channel. The people in charge of the Copernicus System were still blissfully unaware that their system had been breached.
"Nianzhi, check out the venue; everything's so shiny here." Zhao Liangze chuckled as he raised his phone and turned to capture a full 360 view of the venue.
Nobody paid any attention to Zhao Liangze; many of the other guests were also busy taking photos with their mobile phones.
Gu Nianzhi could not care less about the venue decorations. Her eyes were fixed upon Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in one corner of her video feed, calm and dignified.
From the way Zhao Liangze angled his phone, Gu Nianzhi could only see part of Huo Shaoheng's face.
It was no more than a quarter of his profile, but it was evidently enough for Gu Nianzhi: she stared at him, entranced.
"Did you get a good look?" Zhao Liangze lowered his phone once he was done showing off the venue. "Are you ready? Grab your popcorn, it's going to be spectacular."
Gu Nianzhi smiled. She cupped her face in her hands and said, "I got up early today just to catch this. Don't let me down!" She pointed at her screen and winked at the camera. "Check your inbox. I sent you something, so remember to put it up on the conference's official website before you do anything else."
Just then, Jennythe blond-haired, blue-eyed host of the conferenceappeared on-stage to announce that the conference was now officially underway.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today as we inaugurate the 18th International Telecommunications Conference." Jenny was all smiles as she gave the opening speech.
The large LED screen behind her cut to a video montage.
Planes were taking off, painting white, criss-crossing lines across the sky.
Fishing boats sailed in the vast, open seaalmost too small to see from the camera's viewpoint, up in the sky.
Back on land, pedestrians hurried about, a mobile phone in every hand. Everyone was either talking on their phone, or sliding their fingers across their phone screens.
"It is thanks to our very own Copernicus Satellite Navigation System and the United States' Global Positioning System that we are able to move freely about the world today, without fear of running into uncharted territory," said Jenny as she turned to look at the LED screen behind her. "Look, here's a fishing boat, navigating the Atlantic Ocean. They've been at sea for 500 hours now. Hi there, can you hear me?"
It was clear that Jenny was about to contact them via the Copernicus System.
Zhao Liangze surreptitiously launched the interference software that Gu Nianzhi had uploaded beforehand.
The interference software was already inside both the Copernicus System and the Global Positioning System, ready to go. It immediately cut off all local signals, quick as lightning.
Without warning, colorful lines of varying lengths burst onto the real-time video feed on the LED screen. The fishing boat on the screen dissolved into a mess of pixelated squares and symbols, impossible to identify.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" Jenny was extremely embarrassed. She immediately adjusted her headset, but it was no use: the conference's electronic system had lost the satellite connection.